Seat Hooking Structure

ABSTRACT

A seat hooking structure ( 10 ) which supports by hooking a changeable cover ( 7 ) so as to be detachably attached to a seat member provided with a base trim cover ( 6 ), the seat hooking structure ( 10 ) comprising: an open-type fastening member ( 5 ) which is not sewn to the base trim cover ( 6 ), the fastening member ( 5 ) including a fastener part constituted by one fastener half ( 511 ) and another fastener half ( 512 ), and a slider part that slides along the fastener part so as to open and close the one fastener half ( 511 ) and the other fastener half ( 512 ); and an anchoring member ( 18 ) which anchors the one fastener half ( 511 ) to the seat member in a groove for hooking ( 11 ). The other fastener half ( 512 ) and the changeable cover ( 7 ) are secured to each other by a securing part ( 74 ).

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a seat hooking structure.

BACKGROUND ART

A seating face and a seat backrest constituting a vehicle seat istypically formed by a cushioning material made of a foamed material, atrim cover covering the cushioning material, etc. In addition, use hasalso been made of a seat further including wadding and a detachablechangeable cover which can be changed in accordance with a user'spreference.

For example, Patent Document 1 has proposed a vehicle seat in which ahooking groove is formed in a seat cushion body and in which a cover canbe detachably attached to the seat cushion body by a slide fastenerprovided in the groove. In this configuration, one fastener piece of theslide fastener is attached to grooves formed in a peripheral surface ofthe seat cushion body and the seating face and the other fastener pieceis attached to a peripheral edge and an inner face of the cover suchthat the other fastener piece can be engaged with the one fastener piece(see Patent Document 1).

CITATION LIST Patent Document

Patent Document 1: Japanese Unexamined Utility Model ApplicationPublication No. H02-141256

SUMMARY Technical Problem

However, the above-mentioned vehicle seat employs a structure in which atrim cover (cover) is changeable by making it detachably attachableusing a slide fastener that is sewn to a base trim cover (correspondingto a main pad cover wrapping the seat cushion body and a side pad uppercover covering a side portion of the pad in Patent Document 1). Thus, ifthe slide fastener is broken, the base trim cover also has to bereplaced and the repair cost will be increased.

An object of the present invention is to provide a seat hookingstructure which, when a fastening member for attaching and detaching achangeable cover is broken, enables only the fastening member to bereplaced without replacing a base trim cover and thereby enables repaircosts to be reduced.

Solution to Problem

In order to solve the above-mentioned problem, the present inventionprovides a seat hooking structure which supports by hooking a changeablecover so as to be detachably attached to a seat member provided with abase trim cover, the seat hooking structure comprising: a fasteningmember constituted by an open-type slide fastener that includes: afastener part constituted by one fastener half and another fastenerhalf; and a slider part that slides along the fastener part so as toopen and close the one fastener half and the other fastener half, thefastening member not being sewn to the base trim cover; and an anchoringmember which anchors the one fastener half to the seat member in agroove for hooking formed in the seat member, wherein the other fastenerhalf and the changeable cover are secured to each other by a securingpart.

In such hooking structure, since the fastening member is not sewn to thebase trim cover, the base trim cover and the fastening member areindependent of each other, and it is possible for only the fasteningmember to be replaced by releasing the anchored state of the anchoringmember while leaving the base trim cover as-is. Accordingly, when thefastening member is broken, it is possible for only the fastening memberto be replaced without the need to replace the base trim cover.

It is preferable for an insert member, with which the anchoring memberis to be engaged, to be provided inside the seat member. By engaging oneend of the anchoring member with the insert member, the anchoring memberbecomes more difficult to be pulled out.

It is preferable for at least a portion of the one fastener half, whichis anchored to the seat member by the anchoring member, to be reinforcedby a reinforcement part. In such case, tension in hooking can bemaintained constantly with ease.

The reinforcement part may be constituted by a resin-made reinforcementmember which is integrally molded with the one fastener half. Byintegrally molding the reinforcement member using resin, the costrequired for forming the reinforcement member can be reduced.

The reinforcement part may be constituted by a reinforcement memberattached to the one fastener half.

The reinforcement part may be constituted by a reinforcement memberinserted into the one fastener half which has been sewn into a bag-likeshape.

The reinforcement member or the one fastener half may be provided withan anchoring position indicator which indicates an anchoring position ofthe anchoring member. With such hooking structure, a predeterminednumber of anchoring members can be provided at appropriate intervalsusing the anchoring position indicators as markers.

Further, the present invention provides a seat hooking structure whichsupports by hooking a changeable cover so as to be detachably attachedto a seat member, the seat hooking structure comprising: a fasteningmember constituted by an open-type slide fastener that includes: afastener part constituted by one fastener half and another fastenerhalf; and a slider part that slides along the fastener part so as toopen and close the one fastener half and the other fastener half; and ananchoring member which anchors the one fastener half to the seat memberin a groove for hooking formed in the seat member, wherein the otherfastener half and the changeable cover are secured to each other by asecuring part.

It is preferable for an insert member, with which the anchoring memberis to be engaged, to be provided inside the seat member. By engaging oneend of the anchoring member with the insert member, it becomes moredifficult for the anchoring member to be pulled out.

It is preferable for at least a portion of the one fastener half, whichis anchored to the seat member by the anchoring member, to be reinforcedby a reinforcement part. In such case, tension in hooking can bemaintained constantly with ease.

The reinforcement part may be constituted by a resin-made reinforcementmember which is integrally molded with the one fastener half.

By integrally molding the reinforcement member using resin, the costrequired for forming the reinforcement member can be reduced.

The reinforcement part may be constituted by a reinforcement memberattached to the one fastener half.

The reinforcement part may be constituted by a reinforcement memberinserted into the one fastener half which has been sewn into a bag-likeshape.

The reinforcement member or the one fastener half may be provided withan anchoring position indicator which indicates an anchoring position ofthe anchoring member. With such hooking structure, a predeterminednumber of anchoring members can be provided at appropriate intervalsusing the anchoring position indicators as markers.

Advantageous Effects of Invention

According to the present invention, when a fastening member forattaching and detaching a changeable cover is broken, it is possible foronly the fastening member to be replaced without the need to replace thebase trim cover, and it is therefore possible to reduce repair costs.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing a seat according to an embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing a hooking structure of abackrest (seat member) taken along line II-II in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a fasteningmember, etc., with an example of a reinforcing part.

FIG. 4 is a perspective view showing a fastening member, etc. forshowing another configuration example of a reinforcing part.

FIG. 5 is a perspective view showing a fastening member, etc. forshowing a further configuration example of a reinforcing part.

FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view showing a hooking structure in abackrest (seat member) in a situation where a base trim cover is fixedto a cushioning material by a C-ring which anchors the fastening memberat the same time.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing another embodiment of thepresent invention.

DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS

A preferred embodiment of a seat hooking structure according to thepresent invention will be described in detail with reference to theattached drawings (see FIGS. 1-5).

A seat 1 includes a seat face 2 that is moveable forward and rearward ona floor panel of a vehicle and a backrest 3 that is reclinable relativeto the seat face 2. The seat face 2 and the backrest 3 are each a seatmember constituting the seat 1 and each have a cushioning material 4made of a foaming material. A changeable cover 7 can be attached to anddetached from the seat face 2 and the backrest 3 using a hookingstructure 10. The seat face 2 and the backrest 3 are provided with aplurality of linear hooking grooves 11 that constitute the hookingstructure 10 (see FIG. 1).

The following description will describe the backrest 3 as an example.The cushioning material 4 constituting the backrest 3 includes a maincushioning part 41 for supporting the back of an occupant from the rearside thereof and a side cushioning part 42 for holding the back of theoccupant from lateral sides thereof (see FIG. 2). A surface of thecushioning material 4 is covered with a base trim cover 6 by adhesion orby integral foam molding.

The changeable cover 7 is formed by a main face part 71 mounted on themain cushioning part 41 of the cushioning material 4 and a side facepart 72 mounted on the side cushioning part 42 (see FIG. 2). The mainface part 71 and the side face part 72 of the changeable cover 7 areconfigured such that: they are joined with each other by a sewing part74 with their respective front surfaces being in contact with eachother; and when the main face part 71 and the side face part 72 coverthe cushioning material 4 and the base trim cover 6 with the frontsurfaces thereof facing the occupant and the back surfaces thereoffacing the cushioning material 4, the sewing part 74 and a distal endportion, relative to the sewing part 74, of the changeable cover 7 willnot be exposed to the front surface side (see FIG. 2).

An outer circumference of the changeable cover 7 supported by hooking inthe hooking groove 11 using a fastening member 5 is attached to thebackrest 3 or the seat face 2 by a changeable cover outer circumferencefastener 8. It should be noted that the specification and drawings onlydepict an example arrangement of the changeable cover outercircumference fastener 8 (see FIG. 1) and the description of thestructure thereof will be omitted. Further, although not shown, waddingmay be provided between the base trim cover 6 and the changeable cover7.

The hooking structure 10 that supports the changeable cover 7 by hookingis constituted by the fastening member 5, the hooking groove 11, aninsert wire 16 and a C-ring 18 (see FIG. 3).

The hooking groove 11 is constituted by a recess 12 formed so as to havea predetermined width in the longitudinal direction of the back rest 2along a boundary between the main cushioning part 41 and the sidecushioning part 42, and the hooking groove 11 forms the exteriorappearance of the seat 1 and accommodates a base-side tape portion (onefastener half) 511 of the fastening member 5 used for hooking thechangeable cover 7. During the normal time, the recess 12 is compressedand closed between the main cushioning part 41 and the side cushioningpart 42 due to the elasticity of the cushioning material 4. However,FIG. 2 shows the recess 12 in an open state for ease of understanding.

The backrest 3 is further provided with a hooking groove 11 extendingalong the transverse direction (the width direction of the backrest 3),in addition to the above-mentioned hooking groove 11, and the seat face2 is also provided with a hooking groove 11 (see FIG. 1). However, thepresent embodiment will be described with regard to an example of thehooking groove 11 constituted by the recess 12 formed in thelongitudinal direction as described above.

The fastening member 5 is a member that enables the changeable cover 7to be attached and detached in the hooking groove 11 formed in thecushioning material 4. The fastening member 5 of the present embodimentis constituted by the slide fastener 50, including the fastener part 51and the slider part 52 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). The changeable cover 7 canbe fixed by hooking onto the seat 1 by inserting a cover-side tapeportion 512 (the other fastener half) of the fastener part 51 of thefastening member 5 into the hooking groove 11 in the depth direction Dof the recess 12 and fastening the fastening member 5 by engaging thecover-side tape portion 512 with the base-side tape portion 511.

The fastener part 51 of the slide fastener 50 is constituted by thebase-side tape portion 511 and the cover-side tape portion 512. Thebase-side tape portion 511 and the cover-side tape portion 512 includeelements (teeth) 511B and 512B to be engaged with each other, and aninsertion pin (FIGS. 3-5 only show an insertion pin 512C of thecover-side tape portion 512) (see FIG. 3).

The slider part 52 of the slide fastener 50 is slid along the fastenerpart 51 in an arrangement direction of the elements 511B and 512B(hereinafter referred to as the “slide direction” and denoted withreference symbol “S”), and the slider part 52: engages with the elements511B of the base-side tape portion 511 and the elements 512B of thecover-side tape portion 512 in order to bring the fastening member 5into the “fastened state”; or disengages from such elements 511B and512B in order to release the “fastened state” of the fastening member 5.

The cover-side tape portion 512 is sewn with the main face part 71 andthe side face part 72 of the changeable cover 7 at the sewing part 74 soas to be secured to the changeable cover 7 (see FIGS. 2 and 3). Itshould be noted that, although an example of securing the cover-sidetape portion 512 by sewing has been described in the present embodiment,the cover-side tape portion 512 may alternatively be secured by welding,etc.

A reinforcement part 53 is formed on an edge of the base-side tapeportion 511 (if the base-side tape portion 511 has a large width andextends long in the depth direction D of the recess 12, thereinforcement part 53 is formed at the mid-point of the base-side tapeportion 511). The reinforcement part 53 reinforces at least a portion ofthe base-side tape portion 511 which is anchored to the cushioningmaterial 4 by the C-ring 18 in order to prevent the base-side tapeportion 511 from being torn and to allow tension acting thereon duringhooking to be maintained constantly with ease.

The specific configuration of the reinforcement part 53 is notparticularly limited. One example of the reinforcement part 53 is aresin-made reinforcement member 53A that is integrally molded with thebase-side tape portion 511 (see FIG. 3). By integrally molding thereinforcement member 53A using a resin, the cost for forming suchreinforcement member 53A can be reduced.

As another example, the reinforcement part 53 may be constituted by areinforcement member 53B that is formed by attaching a band-shapedresin-made plate to the base-side tape portion 511 by sewing, adhesion,etc. (see FIG. 4).

As a further example, the reinforcement part 53 may be constituted byforming a loop 511L by sewing an end of the base-side tape portion 511into a bag shape and inserting a linear reinforcement member 53C, suchas a wire, into the loop 511L (see FIG. 5).

If anchoring position indicators 54 for indicating positions to anchorthe C-rings 18 are provided in the above-mentioned reinforcement part53, a predetermined number of C-rings 18 can be provided atpredetermined positions at appropriate intervals using the anchoringposition indicators 54 as markers. For example, in the fastening member5 shown in FIG. 4, the anchoring position indicators 54 are formed bynotching parts of the reinforcement member 53B (see FIG. 4). Althoughnot shown, the above-mentioned reinforcement member 53A (see FIG. 3) mayalso be provided with the anchoring position indicators 54 in the sameway. Alternatively, the anchoring position indicators 54 may be formedin the base-side tape portion 511 by, for example, providing marks inthe above-mentioned loop 511L (see FIG. 5).

The insert wire 16 is embedded inside the cushioning material 4 of thebackrest 2 at a predetermined depth from the bottom of the recess 12(see FIG. 2; the groove depth direction of the recess 12 is denoted byreference symbol D in FIG. 2). The predetermined depth as used hereinrefers to a depth suitable for anchoring the base-side tape portion 511of the fastening member 5 and the insert wire 16 by the C-ring 18 bytaking into consideration the size, etc. of the C-ring 18 (see FIG. 2).

Although the specific shape of the insert wire 16 is not shown in thedrawing, the insert wire 16 may be a wire that is extended straight in adirection in which the recess 12 is formed (in the present embodiment,the longitudinal direction along the boundary between the maincushioning part 41 and the side cushioning part 42) or may be a wirewherein a portion thereof to which the C-ring 18 is anchored is crankedtoward the recess 12.

The C-ring 18 anchors the base-side tape portion 511 of the fasteningmember 5 to the seat member in the hooking groove 11. Although notshown, the C-ring 18 can be easily anchored to a predetermined positionin the hooking groove 11 using a tool dedicated to fasten the C-ring.The C-ring 18 is formed in a substantially C shape, with an end thereofextending through the base trim cover 6 and the base-side tape portion511 wrapped by the base trim cover 6 and hooking the base-side tapeportion 511, the other end thereof sticking into the cushioning material4 and hooking the insert wire 16, the ends being compressed and deformedso as to fasten the base-side tape portion 511 and the insert wire 16(see FIG. 2).

The hooking groove 11 in the backrest 3 and the hooking groove 11 in theseat face 2, as well as the hooking structure 10 constituted by suchhooking grooves 11, have a configuration similar to the hooking groove11 and the hooking structure 10 shown in FIG. 2 and the descriptionthereof will therefore be omitted.

In the hooking structure 10 of the seat 1 in the present embodimentdescribed above, since the fastening member 5 is not sewn to the basetrim cover 6 (in other words, the C-ring 18 for anchoring (the base-sidetape portion 511 of) the fastening member 5 to the cushioning material 4merely extends through the base trim cover 6), the base trim cover 6 andthe fastening member 5 are independent of and separable from each other.Accordingly, if the fastening member 5 is broken, it is possible foronly the fastening member 5 to be detached and replaced by detaching theC-ring 18 to thereby release the anchored state, while leaving the basetrim cover 6 as-is. In other words, since it is possible for only thefastening member 5 to be replaced without the need to replace the basetrim cover 6, it is possible to reduce the repair costs required whenthe fastening member 5 is broken.

It should be noted that the above-described embodiment is merely anexample of a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and thepresent invention is not limited thereto and various modifications canbe made thereto without departing from the gist of the presentinvention. For example, the seat 1 according to the present invention 1may be utilized as aircraft seats, passenger ship seats, etc., inaddition to automobile seats.

Although the provision of the insert member, such as the insert wire 16,in the cushioning material 4, as in the embodiment described above, ispreferable in that it is capable of relaxing a localized deformation ofthe cushioning material 4 due to the hooking structure 10 and making itdifficult to move or pull out the C-ring 18, it is not necessary for theinsert member to be provided as long as the C-ring can be rigidlyanchored by the cushioning material 4 alone.

The above-mentioned C-ring 18 is merely a preferred example of ananchoring member for fastening (the base-side tape portion 511 of) thefastening member 5 and the insert wire 16, and rings of other shapes ora variety of other anchoring members may be used.

Although the configuration in which the surface of the cushioningmaterial 4 is covered with the base trim cover 6 by, for example,adhesion or integral foam molding has been described in the presentembodiment (see FIG. 2), such configuration is merely an example of apreferred configuration, and other configurations may also be employed.For example, the base trim cover 6 may be fixed to the cushioning member4 by the C-ring 18 which anchors the fastening member 5 at the same time(see FIG. 6).

Furthermore, the present invention is also applicable to a hookingstructure 10 of a seat 1 having no base trim cover 6 (see FIG. 7). Sincesuch seat 1 does not have a base trim cover, even if the slide fastener50 is broken, an operation of replacing the slide fastener 50 togetherwith the base trim cover is not necessary, and it is possible to detachand replace only the fastening member 5 by detaching the C-ring 18 andreleasing the anchored state, as in the case of the embodiment describedabove.

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY

The present invention is suitably applicable to a hooking structure of aseat which allows a changeable cover to be attached to and detached froma seat member having a base trim cover.

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST

-   -   1: seat    -   2: seat face (seat member)    -   3: backrest (seat member)    -   4: cushioning material    -   5: fastening member    -   6: base trim cover    -   7: changeable cover    -   10: hooking structure    -   11: hooking groove (groove for hooking)    -   16: insert wire (insert member)    -   18: C-ring (anchoring member)    -   50: slide fastener    -   51: fastener part    -   52: slider part    -   53: reinforcement part    -   53A, 53B, 53C: reinforcement member    -   54: anchoring position indicator    -   74: sewing part (securing part)    -   511: base-side tape portion (one fastener half)    -   512: cover-side tape portion (the other fastener half)

1-7. (canceled)
 8. A seat hooking structure which supports by hooking achangeable cover so as to be detachably attached to a seat member, theseat hooking structure comprising: a fastening member constituted by anopen-type slide fastener that includes: a fastener part constituted byone fastener half and another fastener half; and a slider part thatslides along the fastener part so as to open and close the one fastenerhalf and the other fastener half; and an anchoring member which anchorsthe one fastener half to the seat member in a groove for hooking formedin the seat member, wherein the other fastener half and the changeablecover are secured to each other by a securing part.
 9. The seat hookingstructure according to claim 8, wherein an insert member with which theanchoring member is to be engaged is provided inside the seat member.10. The seat hooking structure according to claim 8, wherein at least aportion of the one fastener half which is anchored to the seat member bythe anchoring member is reinforced by a reinforcement part.
 11. The seathooking structure according to claim 10, wherein the reinforcement partis constituted by a resin-made reinforcement member which is integrallymolded with the one fastener half.
 12. The seat hooking structureaccording to claim 10, wherein the reinforcement part is constituted bya reinforcement member attached to the one fastener half.
 13. The seathooking structure according to claim 10, wherein the reinforcement partis constituted by a reinforcement member inserted into the one fastenerhalf which has been sewn into a bag-like shape.
 14. The seat hookingstructure according to claim 11, wherein the reinforcement member or theone fastener half is provided with an anchoring position indicator whichindicates an anchoring position of the anchoring member.
 15. The seathooking structure according to claim 12, wherein the reinforcementmember or the one fastener half is provided with an anchoring positionindicator which indicates an anchoring position of the anchoring member.16. The seat hooking structure according to claim 13, wherein thereinforcement member or the one fastener half is provided with ananchoring position indicator which indicates an anchoring position ofthe anchoring member.